1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to an ice making system for the continuous or semi-continuous production of flavored ice used in producing a flavored ice beverage (e.g., iced coffee). More specifically, the present disclosure relates to the formation of nugget ice by the extrusion of flaked ice with a flavored liquid, such as a coffee concentrate, which provides for reduced dilution of the beverage.
2. Description of Related Art
Consumers today often prefer chilled beverages that are traditionally served hot, as a cold or iced beverage, such as coffee and tea. In particular, iced coffee has become an extremely popular beverage. Typically, there are two ways to prepare an iced coffee beverage. First, is to brew a pot of hot coffee and then add regular ice cubes to chill. However, as the ice cubes melt over time the coffee becomes watered down or diluted, thus affecting the taste and quality of the beverage. A second way is to brew a pot of hot coffee and then place it in a refrigerator to chill. Unfortunately, this can take a while to chill and the coffee may become stale after an extended period of time. Thus, this can also have a negative effect on the taste and quality of the beverage.
Different methods have been developed in an attempt to overcome these disadvantages. One method is to double brew the coffee. Double-brewing involves doubling the amount of coffee grounds used to brew, thus providing a stronger flavored coffee. Therefore, as the ice melts and waters down or dilutes the coffee, a regular or average flavor of coffee is eventually achieved. This concept attempts to maintain the flavor as the ice melts and waters down the coffee. However, because the amount of ice used can vary, this often results in inconsistent flavor amongst the same product sold to customers. Since most producers of iced coffee seek to have a consistent flavor from drink to drink and from store to store, such inconsistent flavor is commercially unacceptable.
Another method used is to make coffee flavored ice or coffee ice cubes. This can be done using the same method and apparatus to make clear or batch style ice. In use, commercial and industrial ice making machines require a continuous circulation of an excess amount of water on the ice-making surface to provide the formation of clear ice. Thereafter, it is necessary to flush or dump a portion of the surplus water that contains the remaining concentrated minerals and chemicals to avoid freezing it into the ice. This process of making coffee ice cube requires a large amount of water, thus, increasing cost of production. Furthermore, it creates a considerable amount of foam and trapped air, resulting in ice having an undesirable hardness and consistency. Finally, it also results in a large quantity of coffee extract from being removed from the eventual ice cubes, thus creating a diluted and inconsistent iced coffee beverage.
Thus, there is a need for a method and an ice making system that continuously produces coffee ice without substantially diluting the resulting flavored beverage and/or without production of excess waste water or foam.